Crockpot Chili Recipe

I found this recipe through pinterest. It's very simple and does not take many ingredients. I absolutely LOVE chili, but not living with my mom anymore I don't really get good chili very often anymore, so I decided to find a simple recipe for chili and try it out and hope it turns out even half as good as my moms. And I've really been into this crockpot recipe thing. Here is the link to the original recipe I used.

Crockpot Chili Recipe

You Will Need:
-1 lb ground beef or turkey
-2-3 cans 14.5 oz of kidney beans (I only used two because there was absolutely NO more room in my crockpot, it is full to the top. And I think you could probably use whatever kinds of beans you want, I just like kidney beans and that's what the original recipe calls for).
-2 cans 28 oz diced tomatoes (I could not find 28 oz cans, only 14.5 oz cans, so I used 4 cans. I also got chili ready diced tomatoes, they were spiced and ready for chili specifically, I figured it would add more flavor).
-14.5 oz can tomato sauce (I got 2 cans that were 8oz because I did not find 14.5 oz)
-Spices: 3 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon garlic salt (Instead of doing this I just bought a powder packet of chili seasoning mix. I figured if it's not strong enough I can add some extra chili powder or garlic or whatever it needs).
-About 1/3 large onion (This was my addition. I just can't picture chili without onions so I added onion, but it is not in the original recipe).

Directions:
-Brown your meat in a pan on the stove. At this time I also added the onion and cooked with the meat for a little bit and also added half the packet of chili seasoning mix.
-Combine everything in your crockpot. I kind of layered. I did one can of tomatoes, one can of tomato sauce, one can of beans, then added the other half packet of seasoning mix, then the hamburger. After that I repeated, added another can of tomatoes, the second can of tomato sauce, the second can of beans. Then I added a third can of tomatoes and mixed it all up. At this time I was trying to decide whether to add the fourth can of tomatoes or not because my crockpot was pretty full, but I went ahead and added them. If you like beans and have room, add in a third can of beans. I just did NOT have room. Then stir it all together, put the lid on.
-Cook on low 6-8 hours.
-The original recipe says to serve with sour cream, nacho chips, and shredded cheese. But for me, chili is served with shredded cheese for me, and crackers for my husband. That's it. But you can serve with whatever/however you want.

This turned out really really good. It wasn't QUITE like my moms chili, but close. It definitely cured my craving for chili. And this made a TON. I don't think my husband and I went through quite half. Close to half though. So for a family of four it should be perfect. I will definitely be making this again. Chili was always something "mom" made, not me, so I always waited until she had some before I could have some. But now it's something I can make! And turns out good!

I'm trying to decide if this is something I can make up ahead of time and freeze for a freezer meal. I don't really want to actually COOK it and then freeze it. I want to possibly be able to put it in baggies and freeze to throw in the crockpot later. This is way too much to fit into one baggie, so maybe I will just halve the recipe and put it in baggies. I think I may do that. Cook the hamburger, then split it in half along with all the rest of the ingredients and make a half crockpot of chili when we want. Then I have 2 meals of chili frozen in the freezer. Hmm... I will let you know if I decide to actually do that and get pictures if so.